Application Note Author: Ken Neubauer PerkinElmer Inc. Shelton, CT

1. Introduction
During the production of semiconductor
devices, a series of acids are commonly
used for a variety of processes. One of the
more important chemicals is hydrochloric
acid (HCl), whose primary use is to
clean the surface of silicon wafers as part of a mixture with hydrogen peroxide and water. As
semiconductor devices continue to shrink in size, the purity of the chemicals used in their
production increases in importance, as even small levels of impurities can cause device failure.
While international SEMI Standards exist for specifying the maximum concentrations of metal
impurities (SEMI Standard C27-07081 is specific for HCl), semiconductor device manufacturers are
pushing for ever-lower levels, placing the burden on the chemical suppliers. As a result, analytical
instrumentation must also be capable of accurate measurements at ever-lower concentrations.
The best technique for measuring low metal concentrations is inductively coupled plasma mass
spectrometry (ICP-MS) because of its ability to accurately measure ultra-trace concentrations:
ng/L (part-per-trillion) or lower. Nevertheless, under conventional plasma conditions, argon,
oxygen, and hydrogen ions combine with matrix elements which can produce polyatomic
interferences on elements of interest.
Analysis of Impurities in
Semiconductor-Grade
Hydrochloric Acid with the
NexION 2000 ICP-MS
A P P L I C A T I O N N O T E
Author:
Ken Neubauer
PerkinElmer Inc.
Shelton, CT
ICP-MassSpectrometry

2. 2
PerkinElmer’s NexION®
2000 ICP Mass Spectrometer offers several
options for dealing with polyatomic interferences to allow for
interference-free analyses, limited only by contamination. The
Universal Cell with three gas channels allows for the ultimate
flexibility when operated in Reaction mode. Because the Universal
Cell is a quadrupole, the benefits of a quadrupole can be realized,
including the ability to control the reaction chemistry through
the implementation of the “q” parameter of the quadrupole.
Controlling the chemistry allows the use of highly reactive gases
in the cell, which greatly enhances the removal of interferences.
With three gas channels available, three different gases can be used
in the same method for ultimate flexibility in the ability to choose
the best gas for a particular interference. In the analysis of HCl, the
removal of chloride interferences is crucial and most effectively
accomplished with 100% pure ammonia and 100% oxygen. Table 1
shows both chloride and non-chloride polyatomic interferences which
form on analytes during the analysis of hydrochloric acid.
Another option for dealing with polyatomic interferences available
on the NexION 2000 ICP-MS is Cool Plasma mode, in which the
power of the plasma is reduced, which limits ionization of argon
(Ar) and the formation of polyatomic species. Although cool
plasma has been used for many years, it has been limited by
its ability to deal with heavy matrices, such as concentrated
acids. As a result of the low power, ionization has been greatly
suppressed in Cool Plasma mode. However, the NexION 2000’s
unique solid-state RF generator overcomes this limitation. The
combination of Cool Plasma and Reaction modes provides the
ultimate reduction of polyatomic interferences, allowing ultra-
trace levels to be measured, limited only by contamination.
This work showcases the unique abilities of the NexION 2000
ICP-MS for the analysis of semiconductor-grade HCl, meeting
or surpassing the SEMI standards.
Experimental
Samples and Sample Preparation
In semiconductor fabs, 35-38% HCl is most commonly used and
is available from a number of suppliers. For analysis, it is generally
diluted two times with ultrapure deionized water. Therefore,
ultrapure 20% HCl (Tamapure-AA-10, Moses Lake Industries,
Moses Lake, Washington, USA) was used in this work and
analyzed without dilution. Calibration standards (10, 20, 40 ng/L)
Table 1. Polyatomic Interferences Observed During Analysis of Hydrochloric Acid.
Analyte m/z Interferences
K 39 38
ArH, 37
ClH2
Ca 40 40
Ar
V 51 35
Cl16
O
Cr 52, 53 35
Cl16
OH, 37
Cl16
O
Fe 56 40
Ar16
O
Ga 69, 71 Cl16
O2H2
Ge 70, 72, 74 Cl2
As 75 40
Ar35
Cl
Se 77 40
Ar37
Cl
were made from the 10 mg/L multi-element stock solutions via
serial dilution, with the final standards being prepared in 20% HCl.
Instrumental Conditions
All analyses were performed on the NexION 2000 S ICP-MS, using
the SMARTintro™
High Purity sample introduction module. Table 2
shows the instrumental parameters used.
For most effective removal of polyatomic interferences, both
Reaction mode and Cool Plasma were used. To maximize
the effectiveness of Reaction mode, 100% ammonia and
100% oxygen were used in two different ways: while ammonia
effectively removes interferences at the analytical mass, oxygen
was used in mass-shift mode, which looks at the product ion of
the analyte and oxygen. This was found to be most effective for
arsenic (As). Syngistix™
for ICP-MS software allows all modes
(i.e. Reaction, Standard, Hot Plasma, Cool Plasma) to be run in
a single method using a single Conditions file, improving ease-
of-use and analytical speed – no need to run samples multiple
times under different conditions. Table 3 displays the method
parameters used for this work.
Results and Discussion
Interference Reduction Strategies in Reaction Mode
Interferences were removed in Reaction mode in two different
ways: removing the interference at the analytical mass and
shifting the analyte to a new mass away from the interference.
An example of removing the interference at the analytical mass
is the removal of the ClO+
on V+
at m/z 51. Although ammonia
reacts rapidly with ClO+
to remove it, the reaction is driven to
completion by the ability to use 100% ammonia in the cell. In
addition, because the Universal Cell is a quadrupole, the RPq
parameter can be adjusted to control the chemistry and prevent
the formation of new interferences, which is crucial when using
highly reactive gases. This is particularly important in removing
the ClO+
interference since one of the intermediate products is
Cl+
, which reacts with NH3 to form ClNH2
+
at m/z 51. However,
because the RPq parameter serves as a low mass filter, it
can be set to make Cl+
unstable in the cell, which prevents
the formation of ClNH2
+
and allows V+
to be measured
interference-free.
Table 2. Instrumental Parameters.
Component/Parameter Type/Value
Nebulizer PFA-ST with 0.5 mm id tubing
Sample Uptake Rate 0.4 mL/min
Spray Chamber SiLQ quartz cyclonic in PC3
Spray Chamber Temperature 2°C
Torch/Injector SiLQ one piece, with 2.0 mm id
RF Power
1600 W (hot)
600 W (cool)
Cones Pt
Integration Time 1 sec / isotope
Reaction Gases
Ammonia (100%)
Oxygen (100%)

3. 3
Table 3. Method Parameters.
Analyte Mass Plasma Mode Cell Mode Cell Gas
Li 7 Cool Standard ---
Be 9 Hot Standard ---
B 11 Hot Standard ---
Na 23 Cool Standard ---
Mg 24 Cool Standard ---
Al 27 Cool Standard ---
K 39 Cool Reaction NH3
Ca 40 Cool Reaction NH3
Ti 48 Hot Reaction NH3
V 51 Hot Reaction NH3
Cr 52 Cool Reaction NH3
Mn 55 Cool Reaction NH3
Fe 56 Cool Reaction NH3
Co 59 Cool Reaction NH3
Ni 60 Cool Standard ---
Cu 63 Cool Reaction NH3
Zn 64 Hot Reaction NH3
Ga 71 Cool Reaction NH3
Ge 74 Hot Reaction NH3
AsO 91 Hot Reaction O2
SeO 98 Hot Reaction O2
Sr 88 Hot Reaction NH3
Zr 90 Hot Standard ---
Nb 93 Hot Standard ---
Mo 98 Hot Reaction NH3
Ru 102 Hot Standard ---
Rh 103 Cool Standard ---
Pd 106 Hot Standard ---
Ag 107 Hot Standard ---
Cd 114 Hot Standard ---
In 115 Hot Reaction NH3
Sn 118 Hot Standard ---
Sb 121 Hot Standard ---
Ba 138 Hot Standard ---
Ta 181 Hot Standard ---
W 184 Hot Standard ---
Pt 195 Hot Standard ---
Au 197 Hot Standard ---
Tl 205 Hot Reaction NH3
Pb 208 Hot Reaction NH3
Bi 209 Hot Reaction NH3
U 238 Hot Standard ---
Analytically, this functionality is demonstrated in Figure 1, which
shows the optimization of the RPq parameter for 1 µg/L V in 10%
HCl. As the RPq parameter increases, the background equivalent
concentration (BEC) decreases sharply at RPq=0.7, which represents
where Cl+
is no longer stable in the Universal Cell. As a result, Cl+
is
ejected from the cell, meaning that the reaction to ClNH2
+
can no
longer occur, resulting in interference-free analysis of V+
at m/z 51.
The second method of dealing with interferences is using Reaction
mode in mass-shift mode, where the analyte reacts with the
reaction gas moving it to a new analytical mass. An example of this
is the analysis of arsenic (As), which reacts rapidly with oxygen to
form AsO+
at m/z 91, away from the ArCl+
interference at m/z 75.
Because ArCl+
does not react with oxygen (O2), AsO+
is measured
interference-free. Figure 2 shows the conversion of As+
to AsO+
as
a function of oxygen flow: as the O2 flow increases, the signal for
75
As+
decreases, while the signal for AsO+
increases, demonstrating
complete conversion.
One of the concerns of measuring AsO+
at m/z 91 is that the
presence of zirconium (Zr) in a sample can cause a false positive
reading. However, because Zr+
reacts rapidly with oxygen (rate
constant ≈ 10-10
), it will move as AsO+
forms, even if Zr is present
at the same concentration as As, as shown in Figure 3. In this
figure, m/z 91 is monitored as a function of oxygen flow for a 1
µg/L Zr standard (blue) and a mixed standard containing 1 µg/L Zr
+ 1 µg/L As.
0.0001
0.001
0.01
0.1
1
10
0.4 0.45 0.5 0.55 0.6 0.65 0.7 0.75 0.8
NormalizedIntensity
RPq
10% HCl +1 µg/L V
10% HCl
Figure 1. Signals at m/z 51 as a function of RPq for 10% HCl (blue) and 10% HCl +
1 µg/L V (red).
NormalizedIntensity
RPq
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1
NormalizedIntensity
Oxygen Flow (mL/min)
AsO+
(m/z 91)
As+ (m/z 75)
Figure 2. Conversion of As+
to AsO+
as a function of oxygen flow in 1% HNO3.
NormalizedIntensity
Oxygen Flow (mL/min)
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
1.4
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1
NormalizedIntensity
Oxygen Flow (mL/min)
1 µg/L Zr +1 µg/L As
1 µg/L Zr
Figure 3. Signals at m/z 91 as a function of oxygen flow for 1 µg/L Zr (blue) and
1 µg/L Zr + 1 µg/L As (red).
NormalizedIntensity
Oxygen Flow (mL/min)

4. 4
Performance
In order to assess the effectiveness of interference removal,
detection limits (DLs) and background equivalent concentrations
(BECs) were determined in 20% HCl using one-second
integration times. Table 4 shows both the DLs and BECs for all
elements, with most being less than 1 ng/L, demonstrating the
effectiveness of Reaction and Cool Plasma modes with the
NexION 2000.
Calibration curves were established with 10, 20, and 40 ng/L
standards. All curves had regressions > 0.999, demonstrating
both the linearity of the analysis and the ability to accurately
measure at low concentrations. Figure 4 shows three typical
calibration curves, demonstrating the effectiveness of the
interference reduction:
- Ca 40 and Fe 56 were acquired with ammonia and cool
plasma, demonstrating the ability to remove significant
plasma-based interferences (40
Ar+
, 40
Ar16
O+
)
- V 51 was acquired with ammonia and hot plasma,
demonstrating the ability to remove a significant chloride
interference (35
Cl16
O+
)
The accuracy of low-level measurements was verified by
measuring 10 ng/L spike recoveries in 20% HCl. As shown in
Table 4, all spike recoveries are within 10% of the true value,
demonstrating quantitative accuracy at 10 ng/L.
With the ability to remove interferences and quantitative accuracy
established, the stability of the methodology was evaluated by
measuring a 50 ng/L spike in 20% HCl over 10 hours of
continuous aspiration. The results are shown in Figure 5 and
demonstrate exceptional stability for all elements in all modes,
with deviations of less than 10% from the initial reading. The
RSDs over the 10 hours are less than 3% for all elements.
Table 4. Detection Limits, Background Equivalent Concentrations, and 10 ng/L
Spike Recoveries in 20% HCl
Analyte Mass
Detection
Limits (ng/L)
BECs
(ng/L)
10 ng/L
Recoveries (%)
Li 7 0.01 0.01 99
Be 9 0.05 0.01 91
B 11 0.6 2.3 90
Na 23 0.09 0.4 99
Mg 24 0.03 0.08 99
Al 27 0.1 0.2 100
K 39 0.6 1.3 103
Ca 40 0.2 0.2 103
Ti 48 0.5 2.7 98
V 51 0.1 0.04 96
Cr 52 0.5 0.50 100
Mn 55 0.07 0.07 95
Fe 56 0.4 1.2 103
Co 59 0.1 0.02 94
Ni 60 0.2 0.3 100
Cu 63 1 2 101
Zn 64 0.7 3.3 102
Ga 71 0.09 0.06 97
Ge 74 2 0.50 92
AsO 91 1 54 99
SeO 96 1 7 103
Sr 88 0.06 0.46 92
Zr 90 1 3 108
Nb 93 0.3 1.1 95
Mo 98 0.5 1.3 92
Ru 102 0.3 0.4 90
Rh 103 0.04 0.007 95
Pd 106 0.3 0.6 91
Ag 107 0.3 0.4 91
Cd 114 0.4 0.9 95
In 115 0.3 1.6 96
Sn 118 0.9 5.5 91
Sb 121 0.6 1.3 92
Ba 138 0.1 0.5 92
Ta 181 0.04 0.02 91
W 184 0.2 0.1 90
Pt 195 1.0 15.0 97
Au 197 0.1 0.3 95
Tl 205 0.02 0.006 95
Pb 208 0.1 0.3 95
Bi 209 0.07 0.5 104
U 238 0.04 0.04 90
x
x
xCa 40
x
x
x
V51
x
x
x
Fe 56
Figure 4. Calibration plots for 10, 20, 40 ng/L Ca, V, and Fe in 20% HCl.

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Figure 5. 10-hour stability of 50 ng/L analyte spike in 20% HCl, with
continuous aspiration.
%Recovery
Time (hours)
Conclusion
This work has demonstrated the ability of PerkinElmer’s NexION
2000 ICP-MS to excel at the elemental analysis of 20% HCl at
SEMI Tier C levels, without the need for sample pre-treatment.
With the combination of Reaction mode using 100% ammonia
and oxygen as well as a unique RF generator which overcomes
traditional limitations of cool plasma, polyatomic interferences
are eliminated, allowing for sub-ng/L detection limits and accurate
quantitation at the 10 ng/L level, while providing exceptional
long-term stability.
References
1. SEMI Standard C27-0708, Specifications and Guidelines for
Hydrochloric Acid, http://www.semi.org/en/index.htm.
Component Description Part Number
Spray Chamber Drain Tubing Gray/gray (1.30 mm id), Santoprene, package of 12 N8152403
Multielement Solution 3
10 mg/L Ag,Al,As, Ba, Be, Bi, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Fe, Ga, In, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni,
Pb, Rb, Se, Sr,Tl, U,V, Zn
N9300233 (125 mL)
Multielement Solution 4 10 mg/L Au, Hf, Ir, Pd, Pt, Rh, Ru, Sb, Sn,Te N9300234 (125 mL)
Multielement Solution 5 10 mg/L B, Ge, Mo, Nb, P, Re, S, Si,Ta,Ti,W, Zr N9300235 (125 mL)
Consumables Used